One- stop centre to come up in every district of Uttarakhand

To bring relief for the survivors of various crimes, particularly the women and the children, one- stop centre scheme has finally reached Uttrakhand. The state women empowerment and child development department in coordination with various other departments like the state commission for protection of child rights (SCPCR) has helped the one- stop centre scheme come up in the state. Such centres have already been formed in two districts – Haridwar and Dehradun. Currently, a staff of 14 people is working at these centres.

The one-stop centres would help the women and the children who undergo violence, child abuse, sexual harassment, acid attack, human trafficking, dowry harassment and the like, said a senior SCPCR officer. “The one- stop centre in Dehradun and Haridwar have started to work. We have a plan to take such centre to every district of the state,” he said.

Stressing on the need to spread the one- stop centre across the state, the officer said, “The centre would keep the victims for five days and help them with everything like medical facilities and counselling. There are instances of a child remaining too scared to give a statement. This is mainly because of their fear of the police. We are also dealing with cases when a child is lost or is rescued by a team. To make things normal for the child often becomes a problem. In such cases, the child would be first kept at one- stop centre and thereafter they may be sent home or to shelter homes, depending upon the case . We are trying to ensure that by the end of this year, every district in Uttarakhand has its one-stop centre.